"The Mission of the Walnut Hills Association is to dedicate our neighborhood efforts to ensure safety, security, and knowledge for all our residents."

Monday, January 30, 2006

Wyoming Theater Building to get a Face Lift

The owner of the old "Wyoming" Silent movie theater building on the corner of Wyoming Ave and Gunckel has enthusiastically agreed to allow a group of volunteers from the neighborhood to repair and make-over the facade of the building. The building was built in 1914 as a movie theater. Around 1929, after talking pictures were all the rage, it became the "Silver Slippers" and later "Kellys Bar". It has sat unoccupied for many years. The work to restore the facade will involve some stucco/masonry finishing, brick tuck pointing, wood refinishing, some gutter work and of course painting. The material cost for the work will be between $200 and $300 and will probably take 3 weekends to complete depending on the number of volunteers.The members at the January meeting agreed that the cost was minimal when compared to the impact this would have on property values near this location. None of the work requires any trained skills and can be learned. If you are interested in participating in this neighborhood improvement project, call Gary at 253-1359. The work should start in April.

3 comments
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Hi Gary, My name is Tracy. I live with my husband Tim on Illinois Avenue. We're excited about this project and if our schedules allow plan to help. Here's some information I found on the property.

From the Montgomery County Historical Society:

The Wyoming Theater was built on the southwest corner of Wyoming Street and Gunkel Avenue in 1914 by Albert Staehlin. A baker by trade, the theater business must not have suited him, for the following year he sold the property to real estate investor Gus G. Kinzeler. Kinzeler, one-time owner of Funland Theater on Valley Street, did quite well during the decade he owned the theater. When attendance began to decline, Kinzeler sold his interest in the Wyoming to Samuel D. Crumbaugh in 1925. When the downtown Colonial Theater introduced the first all-talking, full length picture Lights of New York on September 22, 1928, it sounded the death knell for many of the remaining small, silent theaters. Without the funds to purchase the equipment needed for this new form of entertainment, the nickelodeon’s days were numbered. The Wyoming was no exception, closing its doors sometime in 1929.

The theater remained vacant for several years. In the 1930’s John Schaub bought the property and opened a restaurant. Over the next few decades, the building switched owners, but not the type of business it was used for, remaining a restaurant and tavern until finally closing in 1983. Records seem to indicate that it has been vacant ever since. Curt Dalton spoke to one of the owners around 1997 and was told that the building was being used for storage.

The property, located at 736 Wyoming Street, is now owned by Hotel Innovations, Inc. Records seem to indicate that the company bought the property on September 12, 2002 for $35,000. The 2004 real estate tax bill was sent to Hotel Innovations, Inc., 340 North Dixie Drive, Suite 1, Vandalia, OH 45377. When the building sold in 2002, the sale was listed in the newspaper as being bought by Hotel Innovation, Inc., Gerhard K. Leinberger, 8245 Wyoming St., Dayton, OH. Hotel Innovations is not listed in the 2005 edition of the Dayton White Pages, nor is there a listing for Gerhard K Leinberger.

I plan to get all the volunteers to a meeting in March to discuss what needs to be done and possible color schemes for the paint. You may get to meet the owner there. It isn't Gerhard Leinberger.I don't want to list his name because he owns over 300 rental units and I'm sure some people would like to complain to him. If you click on the "Crime Watch Links" and go to the Secretary of State link. Then type in the name Hotel Innovations under the business names filed with the State, read through the documents that were filed, you will see who owns the property.His address matches the one you list and his phone # is also listed. He is willing to sell the building. It is something the neighborhood association may be interested in and could try to acquire but I would have to see the condition of the inside first.

Great to see volunteers taking part in the Fix ,I was a patron of Kelley's bar in the 70's and I played in a Local band (JOKER)that did a couple gig's in there as well in 1980 many a good time in Kelley's If only those walls could talk :) Mark Rumbaugh.